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Motorways ahead!
Issue No: 128 - August 2017
MEMBERS NEWS
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Members News:Editor: Matthew Stone - 01327 [email protected] and produced by:Ideas4ADIs Ltd - www.ideas4adis.co.ukViews expressed in this newsletter are the views of the people who wrote the article and not necessarily that of the ADINJC.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
PRESIDENTNeil Peek - [email protected]
CHAIRMANLynne Barrie - [email protected]
Ed Marshall [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY& HEAD OF TRAININGJames Quinn - [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENTNick Ibbott - [email protected]
GENERAL SECRETARYSue Duncan - [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENT John Ashton - [email protected]
DEPUTY CHAIRMANMatt Stone - [email protected]
LIAISON OFFICERClive Snook - [email protected]
TREASURERPeter Boxshall - [email protected]
Parv [email protected]
Tina Cassady [email protected]
Andrew [email protected]
Charles [email protected]
Leigh Brookes [email protected]
Lin Western Essex [email protected]
Stewart Lochrie Nottingham [email protected]
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.2
Your ADINJC Governing Committee for 2017
DEPUTY TREASURERChris Porter - [email protected]
Dan Hill West Sussex [email protected]
Contents:3 From the Chair... a monthly report - the latest from Lynne and ADINJC
7 Learners on Motorways ...how the changes will work
8 Electric Vehicles - Rob Cooling on instructing in a Leaf
12 Advanced Driving - Leigh Brookes looks at the options
14 The new format driving test - Peter Scott visits Cardington about test
17 Road Safety Information - download the latest TSR publication
18 ADI Adrian - Adrian’s views on various motoring issues
21 Cyclists - a ‘Death Wish on Wheels?’
25 Members’ Corner - a chance to have your say
Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) and Secretary to the ACPO Roads Policing Operations Forum. He was instrumental in the development of a regional Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. He was the Police Service operational lead for the implementation the introduction of Highways Agency Traffic Officers (HATOs) onto the Midlands motorways and a new joint Police/Highways Agency Control Centre being opened at Quinton.
Nick was Chair of All Wales Roads Policing Joint Advisory Group, developing Roads Policing Strategy for Wales; he assisted in the introduction of the Welsh Traffic Office Service, Chaired the all Wales Casualty Reduction Partnership and was the police lead on Wind Farm Policing. He was the National ACPO lead for Intelligent Transportation Systems, developing technology to improve the functionality, efficiency and effectiveness of police vehicles and combating technology based criminality. He was the National ACPO Lead for Police Vehicle Specification and Procurement Nick was also the ACPO Chair of the Roads Policing Enforcement Technology Group (ACPO RPET), which gives Home Office Type Approval to equipment used for enforcement on UK roads. He is now a Senior Advisor for Road Safety Support wo are a not-for-profit company that provides a range of specialist services to local authorities, the police and other organisations in the UK and overseas that share a commitment to road casualty reduction. He is the current Chair of the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers (AIRSO) Council of Management. AIRSO is a Charity whose aim is to advance education and training among all road users in the furtherance of crash prevention and reduction.
Nick will present ‘Points or Prison’ which will explore the ramifications of decisions made by some individuals in relation to attempts to avoid prosecution. It is intended to be a thought-provoking and interesting presentation on a topic that often divides opinion.
Speed of Sight: The team are joining us with updates of their charity work. Mike Newman, the CEO of Speed of Sight is an 8 time World Record holder (7 Guinness World Records.) Mike is the currently the fastest blind man on the planet on land and water. Supported by co-presenters John Galloway and Sue Papworth you will hear how Speed of Sight is an organisation committed to the promotion of opportunity for all and how it likes to focus on what people CAN do, rather than what they cannot. With this in mind Speed of Sight provides a new experience for people with disabilities in the form of motor sport. They have had three cars specially designed and built - two race cars and one off-road buggy. They allow people of all ages with disabilities to enjoy the excitement and thrill of motorsports. The cars are specially designed with dual controls, twin steering wheels and hand controls and are used countrywide at racing circuits, off road tracks or any venue with a large enough car park or area where a circuit can be created. We are proud to announce that they will be our chosen charity from the conference onwards as we like to change the charity we support every 2-3 years. On July 19th Mike broke another world record! Read about him at www.speedofsight.org Other items to note:• Hotel rooms are selling out fast!• Join us for a meal on the Saturday evening if you are at the hotel• Free drinks reception on Saturday evening sponsored by II magazine• Free conference gift for all delegates• Plenty of free parking• Everything you need to know is on the conference section of the website www.adinjc.org.uk • Book from our website or ring 0800 8202 444• Look out for new August ticket deals released from II magazine
ADINJC Conference 2017
At this time of year it’s appropriate that my report updates you on our conference as it isn’t that far off now. Our 120 early bird price tickets are now all sold and along with some sold on the day of the 2016 conference our total ticket sales as I write this are over 150. Fantastic news and it looks like we could have sell out conference once again. We already have 20 trade stands joining us including for the first time RCM Marketing who will be with us to sell driving instructor supplies. Many of the trade stands help us by providing raffle prizes on the day and this year will be no exception. We have a full line up of speakers now including:
Sue Baker: award–winning freelance motoring writer, editor and broadcaster, with over 30 years’ experience of car testing and new product launch reporting, analysis and commentary. She was a presenter on the popular TV car show Top Gear for 11 years, and worked in Fleet Street for over 20 years, as motoring and motorsport correspondent of the London Evening News and motoring editor of The Observer newspaper. Sue will talk to us about her experience of learning to drive and young drivers, the new driving test and the use of sat nav, automated parking, electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell cars, new technology, autonomous cars and memorable experiences of driving on all five continents. Sue is mindful of the tough job that ADIs do.
Elizabeth Box: Head of Research at the RAC Foundation, an independent charity established to promote for the public benefit research into environmental, economic, mobility and safety issues relating to the use of motor vehicles. Elizabeth is responsible for commissioning a large programme of research addressing taxation, mobility, safety, environmental and road performance issues. She has spoken both nationally and internationally about UK transport policy, and has also presented RAC Foundation views to Government and Parliament on a range of subjects including school travel, learning to drive, young driver safety, older people’s mobility, traffic signage, road network performance, road safety compliance and future transport policy. She sits on a wide variety of Government and Industry expert panels and steering groups and has been involved in policy discussions held around changes to the driving test. She will be talking about behavioural change, young drivers and the relevance of research for driving instructors.
DVSA Team: The DVSA have a longer slot at our conference this year and were happy to bring a team along to answer your questions. This will include Mark Magee, head of the DVSA Central Policy Team, John Sheridan, Driver Training Policy Manager and Graham O’Brien, Policy Advisor (Driver) and Policy & CDE Directorate. I look forward to chairing this session. If you have a question that you would like to hear the DVSA team answer please send it to [email protected] by 20th September 2017.Graham Lucas: For many years the automotive projects manager at a multinational Laser company Graham brought business skills to his own successful Laser cutting business – after retiring from engineering Graham qualified as a driving instructor because he was a little bored with retirement and wanted a job where he felt he could have a positive influence in the community; road safety. Using the business skills from his engineering days he quickly built a multi car driving school and later joined John Farlam to develop John’s SmartDriving business which is now a leading instructor training company. One of the keys to his success has been his problem solving skills. Graham will be sharing his ideas during an interactive session on Problem Solving linked to client centred learning and driving school business.
Nick Croft: Nick is a retired Assistant Chief Constable. He was previously the Commander of the
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.3
From the Chair….. a monthly report
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.4
New DVSA Registrar
Jacqui Turland who was the deputy registrar takes over from Mark Magee, who has been in the role for the last 5 years. Mark will continue to lead the agency’s central policy team. Jacqui said: “I’m looking forward to working with you all as we continue to help people through a lifetime of safe driving.”
Jacqui noted my comments in the last chairman’s report about the rise in the number of trainee licences and wrote to me to say: “Unfortunately, the statistics don’t differentiate between first and replacement licences. Because of the rise in waiting times, last year Mark was more relaxed about granting second and subsequent licences where PDIs were in regions with long waits for part 3 tests. So it is likely that the increase in licences granted is a result of additional licenses granted, rather than a marked increase in demand.”
A member wrote to us to say that their standards check result was incorrect on the DVSA Find Your Nearest website. If you need to get information amended email [email protected] including your personal reference number and the nature of the information. Stopping distances
I was interested to read that Brake, the road safety charity have been researching stopping distances. They say that the ones currently in the UK Highway Code should be increased because drivers’ thinking time has been underestimated. Brake asked TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) to provide evidence on the time taken by car drivers to perceive, recognise and react to emergency situations. TRL referred to academic literature and concluded that the average thinking time is 1.5 seconds - more than double the 0.67 seconds set out in the Highway Code. This means that average total stopping distance - including thinking and braking distance - is an extra 2.75 car lengths (11 metres) at 30mph and an extra 3.75 car lengths (15 metres) at 40mph compared with the distances used in the Code. This difference rises to an additional 6.25 car lengths (25 metres) at 70mph.
Brake is calling on the Government to increase stopping distances in its next update to the Highway Code as a matter of urgency.
Jason Wakeford, spokesman for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “These figures suggest stopping distances taught to new drivers in the Highway Code fall woefully short. Even though car braking technology has improved in recent years, the majority of the overall stopping distance at most speeds is actually made up of the time taken to perceive the hazard and react. “The research shows that average thinking time is more than double that set out in the Highway Code. A true understanding of how long it takes to stop a car in an emergency is one of the most important lessons for new drivers. Understanding true average thinking time reminds all drivers how far their car will travel before they begin to brake - as well as highlighting how any distraction in the car which extends this time, like using a mobile phone, could prove fatal.
Training events
we continue to run our popular training days. The recent standards check one in Birmingham was also attended by a couple of delegates who will be taking the new part 3 exam in October. They said that the day had really helped them understand the 3 core competencies. Comments from delegates included:
Lynne Barrie - MA Driver Training
The ADINJC is a national association run by ADIs on a not-for-profit basis. We work tirelessly to inform, represent and support our members, and to promote the interests of our profession.
From the Chair….. a monthly report I highly recommend this course it was very helpful. I have learnt a lot and will take it away and use it in my lessons. Thank you! Wendy Ellam
A very good course. I’ve learnt quite a bit and the areas I needed to firm up on. I feel better prepared. Jon Warren
Great course which has made things a lot clearer for me. Paul Marshall
Very happy with the course, thank you. William Coleman
I feel a lot more confident in my own abilities going forward. I feel encouraged to use these skills covered in the course in my lessons. 5/5 Andy Pearson
It was a very good experience. Harpal Ghatory
A well-presented and engaging workshop. I feel clearer regarding many issues on the standards check. Liz Armstrong
We also continue to take our training days out to local groups and associations please contact Ed Marshall for details by emailing [email protected] or [email protected] We are happy to tailor make the training days for your association.I want to thank all our members for their support with the work we do on your behalf to inform you, help with advice and to represent your many varied views.
Best wishes to you all.
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ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.6
Standards Check Workshop
Testimonials from Birmingham - 31st July 2017
I highly recommend this course it was very helpful. I have learnt a lot and will take it away and use it in my lessons. Thank you! Wendy Ellam
A very good course. I’ve learnt quite a bit and the areas I needed to firm up on. I feel better prepared. Jon Warren
Great course which has made things a lot clearer for me. Paul Marshall
5/5 Michael Wright
Very happy with the course, thank you. William Coleman
I feel a lot more confident in my own abilities going forward. I feel encouraged to use these skills covered in the course in my lessons. 5/5 Andy Pearson
It was a very good experience. Harpal Ghatory
A well-presented and engaging workshop. I feel clearer regarding many issues on the standards check. Liz Armstrong
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.7
Learner drivers will be allowed on motorways from 2018Learner drivers will be allowed to take motorway driving lessons with an approved driving instructor in a car with dual controls from 2018.
Allowing learner drivers to have lessons on motorways will help to make sure more drivers know how to use motorways safely.
At the moment, you can only have driving lessons on motorways after you’ve passed your driving test. Some newly-qualified drivers take lessons through the voluntary Pass Plus scheme.
How the change will workThe change will apply to England, Scotland and Wales.
Learner drivers will need to be:
• accompanied by an approved driving instructor
• driving a car fitted with dual controls
Any motorways lessons will be voluntary. It will be up to the driving instructor to decide when the learner driver is competent enough to have a motorway lesson.
Trainee driving instructors won’t be allowed to take learner drivers on the motorway.
Motorway driving will not be included in the driving test changes coming into force on 4 December 2017.
The change will only apply to learner drivers of cars - learner motorcyclists won’t be allowed to have motorway lessons.
When the change will happenThe exact date in 2018 will be confirmed nearer the time.
The change will be well-publicised so driving instructors and learner drivers are prepared for the change, and other road users know what to expect. The Highway Code rules on motorways will also be updated.
Until the law is changed, it’s still illegal for a learner driver to drive on a motorway.
Driving instructor vehicles and trainingDriving instructors will be allowed to decide whether or not to keep their driving school roof-top box on during motorway lessons, based on the manufacturer’s instructions.
However, the car will still need to display L plates on the front and rear if the rooftop box is removed.
It will be up to the instructor whether or not they keep their driving school roof-top box on - but the car will still have to display L plates on the front and rear
Learners on Motorways
Guidance for driving instructorsDVSA won’t give driving instructors extra training on providing motorway lessons, but learning materials and the car driving syllabus will be updated to incorporate motorway lessons.
DVSA will also work with driving instructor associations and Highways England to provide extra guidance and advice for driving instructors.
Preparing drivers for a lifetime of safe drivingThe changes are being made to allow learner drivers to:
• get broader driving experience before taking their driving test
• get training on how to join and leave the motorway, overtake and use lanes correctly
• practise driving at higher speeds
• put their theoretical knowledge into practice
NASP have a best practice guide on their website at www.n-a-s-p.co.uk
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.8
I’ve been a driving instructor since 2005, in 2011 I began to specialise in teaching pupils with learning difficulties. A few years ago I really noticed the increased demand for automatic and started investigations into an electric car (the technology requires no gearbox, practically it is driven like any automatic). After a test drive in 2015 and nearly 2 years of research and contemplation I finally went electric in March 2017 and how I wish I’d done it so much sooner. For the first time since I passed my driving test in 1998 I’m actually enjoying driving (ridiculous as it is I’m a driving instructor who has never really enjoyed driving, but I love teaching driving). Never before have I wanted to drive for the sake of it but in my Nissan Leaf driving has become exciting. It’s so quiet, smooth, comfortable and the way electric cars move feels so much better - the acceleration is fantastic. It really feels like ‘Car Version 2’, a proper modern upgrade from the traditional car.
All of my manual pupils had an experimental lesson in the electric car, unexpectedly 3 pupils chose to abandon pursuit of a manual licence to finish their driving course in the automatic (electric) car. I had to explain clearly that they would be restricted to automatics as they had initially learnt with me to gain a manual driving licence. Due to the fact I work primarily with pupils with learning difficulties (and PTSD, anxiety etc…) I was destined to switch to automatic anyway, blended with my passion for all things ‘green’ it was only logical I’d end up with an electric car.
The current generation of pupils seem less interested in the historical obsession with manual cars, this is reflected in the sudden increase in demand for automatic driving lessons (which has opened the way to electric cars for driving instructors). Times are changing and this will only continue, automatic is on the rise and the gearbox is now redundant technology in the new generation of cars. In the 6 months I have had my electric car 3 other local driving instructors have followed suit and gone electric. Nottinghams automatic driving instructors all seem overwhelmed with demand and running long waiting lists.
There is a noticeable pattern in some pupils wanting to learn in an automatic but being pushed towards manual by parents / partners. It seems to be a generational thing which should change
over the next decade. I believe there’s a lot more pupils out there who would choose automatic if the choice wasn’t being made for them (often for good reason, manuals are still more readily available and will be for a while yet).
I spent a lot of time trying to realistically calculate costs and savings regarding the electric car, turns out I under-estimated and the savings are better than I was expecting. I used to spend £70 a week on petrol which has now dropped to £18 per week electric bill. Start working out the maths and it’s a reduction of £2000+ per year on the running costs, that’s even before you start including the cheaper servicing and no tax costs. I could reduce my costs further but I’m happy paying 16p per kilowatt to my energy supplier Ecotricity as the investment in 100% renewable energy matters to me. My cars battery has a modest 24kw so a full charge for me is 16p x 24kw = £3.84 which gets me about 90 miles. It is possible to get the energy for as cheap as 5p per kw (investigate Tide Energy) which would cut the running costs ever further. If you have a home solar array you can potentially power your car for free, something I have every intention of doing in the future.
Several years ago I got really fed up with breathing the exhaust fumes of the rush hour traffic as I walked my kids to their primary school, it’s very unhealthy and the damage it does to our bodies is worrying. If we put aside all the other benefits of the electric car then I would stand by “clean air for our cities” as the greatest future benefit that surely we can all agree on. Our air pollution is bad, exceeding nearly all targets but yet I would be optimistic for the future.
The current iterations of the electric car are generally available with a 24kw or 30kw battery. These will realistically travel 95 miles or 125 miles respectively before needing a recharge. I would advise anyone purchasing an electric car to get a 30kw+ battery. I am coping on my 24kw but intend to upgrade in a couple of years to a 30kw+ battery. I work 4-6 hours per day so with a bit of home recharging during my break I can get by on the 24kw battery. Based on other driving instructors experiences it is possible to cope with a full diary as long as you have rapid charging facilities nearby (capable of recharging 80% of the battery in 30 minutes).
I have a home charger and it’s brilliant, I find it exciting that your home becomes your fuel station. The home chargers cost about £300 (£800 - £500 government grant) and have the ability to add 7kw of energy to my 24kw battery per hour. Or at least it would if I hadn’t bought a Nissan Leaf with an onboard charger of just 3.3kw, I advise anyone buying an electric car to ensure your onboard charger is 6.6kw or above to maximise recharge ability.
A brand new Nissan Leaf with a 30kw battery and a 6.6kw onboard charger can be purchased nearly brand new for £17k. They drop in price quickly so a 1 year old model could be picked up for potentially £12k. I bought a 2016 model for driving lessons at £12k and a 2015 model for family use for £10k. There seem to be some good lease deals out there too.
For a lot of driving instructors it might make sense to hang on a little bit longer (a year?) until all the 40kw and 60kw batteries become standard. These can travel 160+ and 200+ miles respectively (you can travel about 4 miles per kw, use that to calculate potential range). If you’ve got a ton of money there are already electric cars out there capable of 300+ miles to a single charge exceeding
Electric Vehicles Rob Cooling
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.9
Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km). Corsa Limited Edition 1.4i (75PS) ecoFLEX, 3-Door: Urban 41.5 (6.8), Extra-urban 65.7 (4.3), Combined 54.3 (5.2). CO2 emissions: 120g/km.# For Partners Terms and Conditions go to www.partnersprogramme.co.uk/terms-and-conditions. ^OnStar and 4G Wi-Fi hotspot services require activation and are subject to mobile network coverage and availability. Wi-Fi hotspot service requires account with nominated mobile network operator. 4G subject to mobile network coverage availability. Charges apply after free trial period. The OnStar subscription packages could be different from the services included in the free trial period. Check www.vauxhall.co.uk/onstar for details of availability, coverage and charges or ask your Vauxhall Retailer. Terms and conditions apply. Vehicles purchased without OnStar cannot have the required technology retro fitted. #Fuel consumption information is official government environmental data, tested in accordance with the relevant EU directive. Official EU-regulated test data is provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. General Motors UK Limited t/a Vauxhall Motors reserves the right to change, amend or withdraw this offer at any point in time. Correct at time of going to press 13/07/2017.
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what many petrol cars can do - it’s just waiting for the technology to become standard which will happen soon. In a few years 100kw batteries (350+ miles per charge) should start to become affordable. Also worth mentioning the batteries come with an 8 year / 100,000 mile warranty and are 99% recyclable. Even if they ever become unusable they are valuable for the precious metals (like found in a catalytic converter) so should never end up in landfill.
95% of charging is done at home using the 7kw home charger or even a standard 3 pin socket. Without a home charger you’d be reliant on the charging network, there are apps and websites (check out www.plugshare.com) which show you where they all are and how much they cost with
many being free. Personally I wouldn’t be as happy with my electric car if I didn’t have the 7kw home charger, but I understand if you don’t have a driveway you might not be able to install one. It won’t be much of a problem in the future, petrol stations are just beginning to install rapid chargers and soon all motorway service stations will have them. In the future anywhere you can get fuel you’ll be able to get electricity. By 2020 there will be more charging stations than petrol stations, the network is not perfect but it’s improving. Plus an electric car can also charge from any standard 3 pin socket anywhere.
How long does it take to charge?
A rapid charger will refuel 80% of the battery in 30 minutes, there’s about 7 in my area so far - check your local area using the PlugShare website. Most motorway service stations have them (I did a 250 mile trip recently with 3 rapid charges, all for free!). The car will also charge from what’s known as the ‘Type 2’ charger allowing 30 miles of charge per hour, this is the 7kw charger you would normally have installed at home and I use mine to top up my battery between lessons. Then theres the standard 3 pin plug which can be used anywhere in the country, taking 10 hours to complete a full charge. This can be used for overnight charging when you have reached your destination. People often think this is slow which it is, but bear in mind a traditional car doesn’t have the ability to refuel at all while you are sleeping.
Like all cars the range is affected by prevailing conditions, I’ve yet to experience what happens to my modest 24kw 95 mile range when winter arrives! I’ll find out soon, but that’s the reason I’ll be upgrading to at least a 30kw in the future.
There are many different electric cars available, the Nissan Leaf has become the primary one for driving instructors mainly because it seems to be the only one dual controls are readily available for. He-Man are in the process of developing dual controls for other electric cars, they emailed me to say they are just waiting for a driving instructor to be the first in a Renault Zoe (which is already available with a 40kw battery 150+ mile range). Nearly all car manufacturers now produce electric cars and many more will become available in the next couple of years, prices are falling and the new 60kw+ batteries are close to exceeding the range of many petrol cars.
Electric Vehicles Rob Cooling
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.10
ADINJC NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017 ADINJC NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017
THE DETAILS
Double room with breakfast £70, Single room with breakfast £63
Join us on Saturday evening for a free drinks reception and a 3 course meal in the restaurant at £16.75
FIRST 120 TICKETS at £53 for members, £63 for non-members
After, tickets at £73 for members and £83 for non-members
Copthorne Hotel, Merry Hill, Dudley, DY5 1UR
SUNDAY 8TH OCTOBER
CONFERENCE PACK AND GIFT
MEET THE DVSA TEAM FOR UPDATES
AND ‘QUESTION TIME’
LUNCH AND REFRESHMENTS
FREE PARKING
TRADE STANDS TO BROWSE
WWW.ADINJC.ORG.UK
0800 8202 444
GUEST SPEAKERS INCLUDING SUE BAKERAward winning freelance motoring
writer and broadcaster
BOOK NOW!
If you travel less than 150 miles per day, have a driveway to install a home charger and a bit of time in the day between lessons to recharge at home then now is probably the time to go electric. If you exceed 150 miles in a day and don’t have a driveway to install a home charger then maybe wait a bit longer for the 40kw+ batteries to become standard, the new Nissan Leaf 40kw battery launches late 2017 and by 2018 competition between manufacturers will drive the prices down. Go for a test drive. Obviously bear in mind it means you’ll become an automatic driving instructor, although maybe you might want one as your family/non-work car?
Automatics are so widely available nowadays that the problem of being restricted to an automatic driving licence is receding, in fact many pupils who pass in a manual chose automatic. My wife did a few months after passing her test and now myself, I will not be going back to manual.
The beginnings of the end of the ICE (internal combustion engine) mean the gearbox is set to become redundant technology, already going into decline. The idea that ‘proper driving’ is only done in a manual seems increasingly daft. Driving is about what happens outside the windscreen - the ability to understand and interact with complex traffic movement and scenarios. The more the drivers ‘processing power’ can be devoted to outside the windscreen the better and safer, reducing cognitive overload caused by activities inside the car (clutch and gears). When some of my manual pupils experimented in the electric (automatic) it was genuinely shocking watching the immediate improvement in awareness, planning and anticipation - but due to understandable reasons most chose to continue with manual as this is what they had set out to achieve. I’ve now shut down my manual business so I can purely teach in the Leaf.
The next generation of electric cars are excitingly set to be capable of exceeding 300+ miles per charge with the new 150kw rapid chargers beginning to appear capable of recharging the new cars very quickly. The environmental benefits of the electric car mean a lot to me, plus the technology fascinates me. The internal combustion engine has had 100+ years and the electric car represents a long overdue modern upgrade.
He-Man Dual Controls and New Technology
He-Man welcomes new technology and has itself been working closely with the local universities regarding future technologies, both for cars and teaching aids. He-Man Dual Controls have been designed for the Nissan Leaf and Audi e-tron; tentative enquiries for the Renault Zoe have not developed into purchases thus far but any instructor wishing to have a system designed on their Zoe should call He-Man to discuss the possibility. To date, there has been more movement towards Hybrid cars rather than full electric and He-Man move swiftly to cater for all requests.
He-Man is working closer than ever within the industry and with the driving school organisations, we welcome feedback from instructors and are available at most instructor conferences. We are here to work together to ensure the highest standards are maintained throughout the industry; we know you can only provide a professional teaching experience if you have the best working environment and best quality equipment, professionally installed. The future of driving is in both our hands, we welcome both advancement in technology and improvement in safety standards.
He-Man Dual Controls 023 8022 6952 / [email protected] products and services promise quality, safety and value to Driving Instructors everywhere.
Electric Vehicles Rob Cooling
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We run our popular national conference, and also offer
valuable nationwide workshops at discounted prices for
members. We can create a tailor made event for your local
association.
We collate your views and use them to liaise with the DVSA, DfT and other agencies. Together we
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Contact us for details or for a copy of our guide to setting up a local association:
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We have a dedicated help line 7 days a week. We have a panel of working ADIs with vast knowledge and experience of the industry, ready and willing to help your members. They cover LGV, driver CPC, PSV, Motorcycle and B+E training,
standards check advice, instructor training and more.training and more.
Last but not least they say they like our friendly, personal approach!
ADINJC - WORKING ADIs WORKING FOR YOUWHAT OUR LOCAL ASSOCIATIONS AND GROUPS SAY ABOUT US
“ADINJC are a great National Association run by working ADIs like us, they put in a tremendous amount of work to provide us with all the latest and up to date information about the industry. They offer support and advice and give us a voice at national level. Their CPD courses are excellent, well organised, reasonably priced and very useful. The Association meetings are interesting, a great source of information and also a good opportunity to network with information and also a good opportunity to network with other likeminded ADIs.”
“Sometimes life as an ADI can leave you feeling isolated. This is why it’s important to be a member of an association. Who is best, a local or national one? As a member of a local association which in turn is a member of ADINJC, I consider we have the best of both worlds. The ADINJC has provided support on numerous occasions and gives our SADDIA members a feeling that there is always someone behind us to provide help when there is always someone behind us to provide help when needed.”
ANDREW MORRISONCHAIRMAN APDI SOUTH WEST
MARK CHRISTMASSECRETARY, SOUTHEND & DISTRICT ASSOCIATION
“SmartDriving has now been an ADINJC member organisation for over four years – the benefits of direct representation, support and information offered by ADINJC has been of proven value to my 1600 members. I firmly believe that this non- profit organisation has a genuine concern for the improvement of our industry and in helping ADIs generally. No organisation is totally politically unbiased or free of “self-interest” but unlike some organisations who may be tempted to put commercial considerations or rigid political agendas before the best interests of their membership, the ADINJC are about as straight and independent as you might hope to get.”
JOHN FARLAM, SMART DRIVING
“St. Albans Association was one of the founder members of the ADINJC, and to this day all our members still benefit from being part of a brilliantly run national association for ADIs that just keeps getting better. Join to meet a dedicated team Join to meet a dedicated team helping your industry today and every day, come and take part. We did over forty years ago!”
TIM MCKERNANSECRETARY ST ALBANS ASSOCIATION
“Fantastic news 1st 4 Driving Ltd are now group members of ADINJC. All my members enjoy the many benefits including the reduced price PI/PL. I’ve been a member for many years and found their information quickest to information quickest to arrive, most comprehensive and their CPD conferences second to none.”
DAVE FOSTER MA1ST 4 DRIVING
I look at the ADINJC membership from the point of view of a multi-car driving school owner. For a very reasonable price, I have signed up my school as an association and now all of my instructors and I benefit from the regular industry information updates, monthly newsletter, association meetings and available training courses. Not to mention the fact that the governing committee will take questions and queries we put forward to the highest level of the DVSA. If you are considering becoming a member of a national association then I can't recommend the ADINJC highly enough. It’s a non-profit making organisation that puts all its resources into benefiting its members.”
Contact us for more information:
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MATT STONE, LET'S INSTRUCT DRIVING SCHOOL
WANT TO JOINTHE ADINJC?
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.11
What to write about for this month? Here I am staring at a blank screen. Then it occurred to me. Advanced Driving Tests! – Why not, it’s yet another area I have specialist knowledge in, that’s equally of interest to ADI’s. (Now bear with me, I promise I will produce an article on the various requirements for the spacing of characters on number plates eventually).So, what is it? To cut a long story short it’s a system of driving developed by the Police from a series of training notes used by the Metropolitan Police at Hendon in the 1930’s.
Many of you will have no doubt heard of “Roadcraft” even if you haven’t read it, which was the book eventually published from those notes.
(On a side note, Driving Examiners were originally trained by the Police at Hendon and Preston, around until 1960 when the Ministry of Transport setup their own training at a couple of sites before finally ending up at Cardington in 1976. Roadcraft itself was the first government publication published on actual driving techniques until “Driving” came out in 1970, which later became “Driving the Essential Skills”)
It’s called Advanced Driving, just because that was the name of the course at Hendon. I tend to agree with an acquaintance of mine, Reg Local , that it might be rebranded “Better Driving”. Everyone reading this article, myself included could be a better driver in one way or another.
What’s different about it? Well that really depends on the standard you were trained to originally. The last ADI I put through both the IAM and RoSPA tests best described it as a ‘different style of driving’
Off the top of my head, more emphasis is placed on not signalling when there is no-one to benefit, separating braking and gear changing, rev matching - things already touched on in the Essentials Skills, along with cornering and limit points. (With limit points, I’ve always found it odd that the Essential Skills tells you to set the correct speed for a corner on approach, but gives you no information on how to judge that speed). There are some slight positioning differences on left hand bends, and straight lining roundabouts! – Everyone in my experience always seems to be excited about straight lining roundabouts for some reason. That could be a subject for another article.
So, moving swiftly on, let’s don our string backed driving gloves and see what options are available, if you’re interested in taking an advanced test.First off, The Institute of Advanced Motorists. Now rebranded as IAM Roadsmart, it was founded in 1956 to bring the police system to a civilian audience. Its link to ADIs is that one of the founders was Denise McCann, who was Chair of BSM at the time. It’s probably the most well-known advanced test amongst the public.
The test is usually examined by a serving or retired police officer, lasts around an hour and takes in all types of road. Commentary or as it’s now called by the IAM “Spoken Thought”, is optional.
The marking system is graded 1-3 (1=Commended, 2=Satisfactory, 3=Requires development)
across 23 categories (for example Steering, Anticipation, Positioning), with no “3’s” allowed for a Pass, so it’s not a purely fault based assessment like the DVSA.
To turn up ‘cold’ and take the test it’s £99, and any ADI capable of driving to a good Part 2 standard should have no problems with it.
If you want to learn a little more about the Roadcraft system of driving, or think you may want to brush up on some techniques then there is a £149 option which includes as many sessions as you need pre-test with a volunteer observer.
There is also the equivalent of a distinction called a “F1rst” – This is where a candidate scores 1’s in 21 out of the 23 categories and has to give a short commentary.
Having passed the initial test, you can go on to take the tougher “Masters” test. This lasts 90 minutes, has a commentary requirement and is conducted in an area unfamiliar to the candidate, by Area Examiners who are usually ex-police driver trainers. The marking system is the same as the standard test, but to a much a higher standard. Some say equivalent to a police course (without the use of any exemptions obviously). There’s less than a thousand ‘Masters’ on the register currently.
This is also graded as Pass or Distinction, and is valid for 5 years. The cost is £249 for 12 hours training and the test or £129 for the test only if you feel you’re at a high enough standard already.
Now we move on the next most well-known course available.
The Finchley League of Safe Drivers.Who? I hear you say.
In 1955 the Finchley League of Safe drivers recruited some Hendon Driving instructors to teach the system to the public, in 1960 it became the League of Safe Drivers before in 1980 passing the reins over to an organisation you might have heard of – The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents or RoSPA.
The RoSPA test is also around an hour, a lot of the examiners also examine for the IAM, (there’s a limited amount of police or ex-police personnel interested in examining).
The test is along the same lines as the standard IAM test and is graded Bronze, Silver or Gold. Traditionally and perhaps slightly controversially, a “normal” IAM Pass was considered equivalent to a Bronze or a Silver. Before the F1rst, Enthusiasts would often progress from the IAM test upwards to the RoSPA test which was considered a tougher standard.
The test only option is £62 – There’s no training package like the IAM. If you want training you’ll need to join your local group for a small fee. The pass is also only valid for three years. (Having initially passed the test you pay a nominal yearly membership fee to RoSPA which covers the cost of your three yearly retests).
Training for both the IAM and RoSPA is provided by volunteer observers who have taken the test, and then taken the organisations training tests, and varies across the country. Some groups will provide classroom sessions and one to one tuition, others do a monthly meet, where everyone arrives in a local car park, and gets assigned an Observer for a run, or combination of both.
If you don’t want to become immersed in Roadcraft, then there are still a couple of options open to you.
Diamond Advanced Motorists who are linked to the DIA, offer an Advanced Test and an Elite Test. The Advanced test is basically a Part 2, and in fact is often taken by PDI’s as a dry-run, so not worth
Advanced Driving Leigh BrookesADINJC Governing Committee
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.12
Educators can now register for UK Road Safety Week 2017 (20-26 November) at www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/educators. Coordinated by charity Brake, the Week is a great opportunity to engage children of all ages with road safety by using free resources (available from September), including assembly and workshop slides, guidance sheets, activity sheets, posters and digital content such as videos and games. This year’s theme of Speed Down Save Lives aims to raise awareness about the dangers of driving too fast, especially around schools, homes and shops, and focus on the positives of keeping your Speed Down so kids can walk and cycle safely.
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.13
Intermediate CoachingWorkshop
(including lunch, refreshments & Resource Pack)
£99ADINJC Members Non - Members
£119Full Day Workshop
Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Councilwww.adinjc.org.uk
To book telephone 0800 8202 444 / 03 300 100 446
13th November 2017 ManchesterAdmission by ticket only
Take Your Coaching SkillsTo The Next Level
ADINJCTraining
ADINJCINTERMEDIATE COACHIN
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considering if you’re a fully-fledged ADI unless you just want to dip a toe in the water.
The Elite test on the other hand is a two fault (but not two in the same category), 90-minute test based on the Cardington system of marking and is £125 for the test only.
The cost of training for the test, should you need it will vary depending on the hourly rate of the Diamond Trainer you use.
Finally, the DVSA themselves offer the “Cardington Special Test”. It’s £144 and you must travel to Cardington to take it. Grade A, the only grade anyone is really interested in, is a maximum of 3 faults. This also allows you exempt membership to IAM Roadsmart (i.e. you can become a member without taking their test)
What do you get out of it? A new set of skills and knowledge to impart to your clients, many fleet providers also require their trainers to have taken advanced tests. You could volunteer as an observer after you’ve passed your test as a gateway to getting experience teaching full license holders, if that’s not an area you’ve worked in before, or just for the satisfaction of pushing yourself that little bit further.
Further reading: Without doubt: Roadcraft, however Advanced and Performance Driving by Reg Local is an excellent primer for the subject along with his Youtube channel where he has a variety of instructional videos on the different techniques. The now out of print “Expert Driving the Police Way” by John Miles can still be found from online sellers, along with the Roadcraft DVD, and Ultimate Driving Craft by Chris Gilbert.
Advanced Driving Leigh BrookesADINJC Governing Committee
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.14
DVSA Cardington, 13th July 2017Chris Porter, from Governing Committee of ADINJC and myself were invited to meet Gordon Witherspoon, Driver Policy Manager, and Graham O’Brien, Policy Advisor (Driver), both of Policy and CDE Directorate at DVSA, to discuss the new format driving test, receive a presentation, a demonstration of the new elements and to have an opportunity to have questions answered.
The main areas covered were “why change the test?” and to see and discuss these changes. While we agreed beforehand to have an open mind, we were both aware that so many of our friends and colleagues were unsure about the new test, we had heard about the basic changes, but there had been so many rumours and apparent changes of briefing, we felt we needed to be told certainly what the test would be like. Prior to our visit I had expressed concerns to our DVSA hosts about using new technologies (namely the SatNav) on test with people having known (neurological) disabilities, “hidden problems” or just simply with general test nerve and anxiety related problems.
Chris asked if the new test had been demonstrated to SEN groups and Graham said that focus groups had been invited to Cardington to view it. He mentioned dyslexia & dyspraxia were represented, the autistic spectrum and British Deaf Association also attended, but he did not give a complete list.
“The new driving test has been redesigned to better reflect today’s modern driving environment”.
So what’s new?Independent driving will be extended to approximately 20 minutes of the driving test. DVSA believe the current routes used do not test candidates sufficiently on a mixture of road types and speeds, particularly rural roads with generally a higher incidence of ‘Killed or Seriously Injured’ (KSI) road traffic incidents, and they felt that longer periods of independent driving (4/5 tests being guided by SatNav), negating the stop / start nature of giving preset instructions would keep the tests moving, enabling driving examiners’ to take candidates on longer and more mixed routes. 1/5 tests would still use “following signs for…” and these routes would similarly be extended to 20 minutes.
I asked what they felt about ADI’s driving on similar roads, routes and environments as the (new) driving tests. Whilst they would not condone ‘copy cat’ practicing, they did acknowledge the inevitability that ADI’s will elect to drive on similar roads, and there will be benefits by preparing learner drivers to handle these roads much more because of greater driving exposure whilst learning, and this would certainly align the ADI’s with the DVSA’s stated aim of reducing KSI’s on rural roads.
DVSA made no secret of the fact that they understand the presence and use of a SatNav in the car may be a distraction, both in sight and sound. ADI’s should experiment with this with their clients and help them understand and manage the distractions. Use of any SatNav will suffice in this objective.
SatNav (DVSA’s initial model of choice for driving tests is TomTom Start 52 – it is important to note that DVSA are not endorsing this product, but it best matches their needs following the trials). This model has significantly helped DVSA to easily prepare new driving test routes (compared with other SatNav models), using the “record route” feature, which enables them to simply record,
save, store and copy a driven route to an SD card. This can then easily be added to a compilation of routes for each driving examiner’s SatNav. The equipment comes with a very sturdy but flexible dash grip mat, and a juice pack discretely attached at the rear, which will power the SatNav for a full day without a recharge. The voice we heard was very soft, the timing of instructions given correctly and the graphics on the screen were uncluttered and clear. I have been assured it has been tested to ensure it doesn’t intimidate the user with lots of “make a U-turn” instructions if the user misses a turn. In set-up volume, brightness , contrast and colour palette are fully adjustable to accommodate users with Special Needs and light sensitivity issues (NB these are unlikely to exactly match known syndromes like Irlen or Sjogren’s). Diagnosed users will have management solutions in place, but the SatNav adjustments may just help further with the condition. Only time will tell with this, but I’d suggest ADI’s should visit the LDTM to examine the SatNav if they have clients with any such conditions, and, in advance of a test, I recommend to take the client to the test centre to see the LDTM and work through the settings to determine (in advance) the best settings for that client.
Retained “reverse in private bay park” exercise at DVSA Driving Test Centres. This manoeuvre will remain unchanged, so the candidate will be asked to drive into the car park and reverse into a marked bay of their own choice. Depending on the layout of the car park this may be reverse in to the left or right and the candidate may be asked to drive out of the car park to the left or right if there is high demand for use of the car park from other driving examiners.
Retained “roadside reverse parking”, manoeuvre unchanged.
Amended “show / tell” which will now be conducted on the move. Candidates’ will be asked to perform an everyday task and discuss another whilst driving. The candidate should elect to do this in a safe road and traffic situation. If the candidate fails to operate controls correctly, they could be to be awarded a driver fault, serious or dangerous fault depending on the severity of the error.
Addition of “parking in a bay in a public car park”. Candidates will be requested (on the move) to drive forward into a space on the left or right, then, having parked, reverse out to the left or right, and drive away. We were told the driving examiner would evaluate the area for availability of open bays (i.e. with no cars either side) and will not give an instruction to park if there are only spaces between cars as this is deemed too challenging. In addition the location will only be with two way systems, not one way systems. If a candidate chooses to pull forward between two cars, the driving examiner will not intervene unless the manoeuvring becomes unsafe. If the candidate drives through a space and stops in the “drive through” bay, the exercise will be reset once the candidate has been told that is not what is being asked for.
Addition of “pull up on the right”. Candidates will be requested (on the move) to pull up in a safe place on the right. After parking and once the driving examiner has evaluated the parking and safety of the road, candidates will then be asked to reverse a distance of approximately two car lengths and then drive away returning to the normal flow of traffic when safe to do so. I asked if the road suddenly and unexpectedly became busy, and instead parked in a safe place on the left, what would happen. We were told the driving examiner would decide if the exercise could continue or if the candidate would be asked instead to drive on (and possibly be asked to do the exercise at another location further along the route).
Removal of turn-in-the-road and corner reversing. It was explained that the necessary skills to perform these exercises would be more than adequately tested in the drive-in / reverse-out exercise (which draws on the turn-in-the-road skills), and reverse-in / drive-out (drawing on corner
The new format driving test Peter Scott Leeds Driving
Instructors Association
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.15
reversing skills), and the necessity to have very high all around visual awareness is heightened because of the choice of location to perform the new manoeuvre in a public car park and when moving off to return into normal traffic flow from the right.
My conclusions (general).Generally do people welcome and embrace change? There’s a saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”. As I prepared to meet the DVSA, I was of the mindset that although I believed the current driving test has its many flaws, it does sort of work, I am used to it, and generally it does enable safe drivers to acquire a full car driving license. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? But do drivers behaviours change when they no longer have their trusty ADI sat alongside or after they have crossed the elusive finish line and pass their test? (You answer that).
In my area, Leeds, the driving tests take place in built-up areas, and in these urban areas, and on the surrounding rural areas not currently covered by driving tests, there are a high proportion of serious incidents and, although few in number, an unacceptable number of fatal incidents (see links below and check your area).
What is the “modern driving environment”? Certainly, if we are to believe all the postings from all your dash-cams on Facebook, there’s a lot of very bad driving out there, perhaps a lot of these examples being “near misses”, but someone has taught these people to drive, and can I honestly believe that, once my back is turned, will all of my former clients’ continue to drive perfectly? Well I’d like to think so, but what about peer pressure (how many of our lessons do we conduct with our clients mates in the back?), road rage (remember your dash-cam footage, other road users’, horn jockeys’), distractions (not just SatNav’s, but radio, music, mobile phones, iPods etc), family (partner, kids, Mum or Dad, and all the “back-seat drivers”), alcohol/drugs, emotional and time management (had an argument / in a rush), and more, all of which fit nicely into the higher levels of the GDE. There’s a lot I can do around this area to make my tuition car driving environmentally more like driving in the modern world, with the clear exceptions of alcohol and drug use, which have to be done as “tutorials”.
I’ve heard so many ADI’s speak in opposition to these changes, myself included, perhaps because of the perceived intentions of DVSA, introducing changes into the driving test that are not best practice or contrary to the Highway Code. For the first time, DVSA today engaged with me and on the level, explained why, and I found I could agree. DVSA know that driving forward into a parking bay in a busy car park and then reversing out is high risk, and they agree that pulling up on the right to park is something road users really should not do because it’s wrong and could be dangerous, they also know that overnight parking facing contraflow in the road is very dangerous. They also know that car drivers need to be able to operate ancillary controls on the move, because you have to be able to clear the mud splash, for example, immediately when driving at speed, without error and quickly to stay safe.
My role is to provide my clients with the information they need to find their way around driving in the modern world, with all its imperfections. The new driving test, as I see it, gives me opportunities to say things about driving that I might not otherwise have said or done to my clients. For example I’ll have a conversation about which is best practice in bay parking and why,
The new format driving test Peter Scott Leeds Driving
Instructors Association
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.16
Supervising a Learner...
reversing in or driving in, and if, for my convenience, I do this manoeuvre the less desirable way, why must I take extra care when manoeuvring away. Not only that, but I have not overlooked helping my client to have the necessary skills to safely do this, whereas, at the moment I and many others may only “teach” the preferred best practice way. Will my clients quickly pull up on the right after they’ve passed their test to go to the shops? Yes they will! How many times have I discussed this with them or how to drive away safely. Not enough really if I’m honest, because the driving test syllabus does not encourage me to have that discussion and it’s not something I’d therefore choose to cover in day-to-day lessons.
My conclusions (disabilities).Those of you who know me well, know that I care passionately about enabling people with disabilities to drive wherever possible. For me, meeting the DVSA and challenging them on the broad range of disabling conditions, and how these may be affected by the new test, especially with the introduction of the SatNav and its potential to distract or be difficult to use, was of great concern to me. All my fears were very easily diffused during a fairly lengthy discussion on the subject, leaving me with the following conclusions and solutions to offer you.
Firstly, whether able-bodied, neuro-typical, if disabled in any way, or if your client has undiagnosed symptoms, it is your or my role as ADI’s to enable that person to acquire necessary skills, knowledge and expertise sufficient that they can operate all the machinery of their vehicle, understand and apply knowledge & experience to interact safely and robustly with the road environment and other road users. The role of the DVSA is to ensure that the person is capable of independently and safely demonstrating they can do that.
The vast majority of our clients should be able to cope with all elements and aspects of the new test given our skills and expertise, as they have done before. There are minority groups who may have difficulty and, from time to time, you may receive one such client into your student group. The difficulty may take the form of “distraction” but as ADI’s, it is our responsibility to find resolutions or coping strategies. Having spent a lot of time thinking about the problems which may occur as a result of the driving test format changing, in advance of meeting DVSA I concluded that as a professional group we would need to do more to support one another and share knowledge, as clients with “problems” are simply not the domain of DVSA. Having said that we agreed that any candidate being presented for a test with a declared disability (flagged on the booking) is entitled to have special treatment.
DVSA encouraged us to visit the driving test centre in advance of a test to discuss any issues about the candidate with the LDTM, and it would be helpful to write a letter. If there are SatNav set-up requirements, it would be advisable to take your client to visit the LDTM about a week before the driving test to go through the settings required and the ADI should keep a note of any personalised settings needs. On the day of the driving test, the ADI should take responsibility to arrive extra-early with a copy of the written statement and requirements to ensure the driving examiner knows in advance about the candidate and their personal needs. ADI’s are encouraged to attend any driving test of this kind so as they can act as a support to driving examiner during the driving test if any issues crop up (subject to the driving examiner requesting support).
The new format driving test Peter Scott Leeds Driving
Instructors Association
A GUIDE TO ADINJC
Professional Indemnity Driving TuitionWhy is Professional Indemnity cover so important?
Because we all make mistakes in life, including in our business operations as a driving instructor.
However, if you make a mistake in running your driving school, the consequences can be very serious. You could, for instance, be sued for vast sums of money. Professional Indemnity will provide you with protection in case someone decides to take action against you even when you haven’t done anything wrong.
The ADINJC Professional Indemnity insurance, provides the valuable protection you need as a driving instructor offering professional advice to the public, to prevent this happening. It covers you when, as a result of negligence, you are sued for losses or damages by a third party. In short, it gives you peace of mind: if a claim is brought against your business, you won’t have to worry about the financial implications of a lawsuit. The ADINJC policy provides £5 Million cover for each and every member, ensuring you have sufficient cover. The policy also has a low policy excess of £500 for each and every claim.
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ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.17
Road Safety Information Graham Feest ADINJC Road Safety Advisor
For the latest Road Safety Information click on the image to download the latest copy of ‘Traffic - Safety - Roads’.
Items in August’s issue include:
• Drug Driving Law in Scotland
• New European Target on Reducing Injuries
• RoSPA New Chief Executive
• Road Worker Hit by Truck
• Road Safety Minister
• 2016 Casualty Data??
• DVSA Statistics
Ideas4ADIs Something worth talking about
www.ideas4adis.co.uk
L of a way 2 Pass - Instructors SuiteThis comprehensive videos will enable your pupils to eliminate numerous negative emotions that inhibit learning, including fear, panic, embarrassment, frustration and replace with confidence, and increased self esteem. The techniques are so effective, you’ll find yourself using them for your own Check Tests! Advice from an expert will help you to combat the issues that dyslexic and dyspraxic learners face when learning to drive. You will learn how to assess your pupils individual Learning Style, so you can adapt your teaching style to match their individual needs.
DfT National Car Test Waiting Times...
It’s not been a good week for Germany’s biggest carmakers. They are being investigated on suspicion of operating a secret technology cartel for the past 20 years, which led to the emissions scandal, claimed Spiegel magazine of July 22nd. Apparently Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen and the two VW subsidiaries Porsche and Audi have been meeting in secret to agree on what technology they will offer their customers. The alleged collusion was a direct cause of the diesel emissions scandal at VW two years ago after the five carmakers agreed to limit genuine emissions cleaning technology. The companies are now under investigation by both the German anti-trust office and the European Commission, the magazine claimed. Authorities declined to confirm the report, citing ongoing investigations. The companies themselves all refused to comment. The explosive claims came at the end of a bruising week for the German car industry. Daimler AG recalled more than three million Mercedes-Benz diesel cars to lower their emissions, while Audi announced a recall of 850,000 vehicles.
There was a fascinating piece in AutoExpress of July 19th. Entitled “What do you do in your car”? it published the results of a survey by the car maker Citroen, which had asked thousands of drivers from the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Poland how they spend the time in their car during a lifetime. And it revealed a few national stereotypes. Apparently, we Brits spend around three years and four months in our vehicle. 19,486 hours driving and 10,264 hours as a passenger. (Although I guess the figures for us ADIs may differ slightly). We are amongst the most courteous drivers in Europe, spending on average 6,538 hours over our lifetime thanking other motorists. But we also spend 2,643 hours kissing someone and 87 hours searching for the car after forgetting where we parked it. That second one certainly rings a bell with me, does it you? I make no comment on the first.
A story in the Mail recently was entitled “Clever people more likely to fail their driving test”. Research by Insurer Privilege DriveX-pert, based on analysis of 1,564 people with a full British driving licence, revealed that the brighter you are, the less likely you are to pass your driving test at the first attempt. And creative types who prefer the arts perform better than drivers who are good at maths and science. Experts suspect drivers with more academic minds may over-think the challenge they are facing, compared with people who have a more practical and hands-on approach to the problem. The study found 59 per cent of drivers with no qualifications passed their test first time but only 50 per cent of those with GCSEs or equivalent did the same. Those with a degree passed in one attempt 48 per cent of the time and this fell further to 47 per cent for someone with a post-graduate qualification. Those taking arts subjects at A-Level and above passed quickest – taking an average of 1.9 attempts compared to 2.3 attempts for those specialising in science and maths. Dr Lee Hadlington, senior lecturer in Psychology at De Montfort University said: ‘Those who don’t have formal qualifications could be in roles that rely heavily on procedural skills like motor control, hence they may be better suited to activities like passing a driving test.’ Well, I’ve got A-Levels in Pure Maths, Applied Maths and Physics and a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. And I passed my L-test first time, so I reckon that study is a load of utter coblers.
It’s hard enough to find a parking space at the best of times. So spare a thought for the poor motorists in Spalding, Lincolnshire who had to contend with parking style of one particularly selfish driver. Portugese Fabio Silva, 22, left his nine-year old white Seat Leon across four bays in a town centre car park to make sure nobody could damage his pride and joy. But he called his critics
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.18
ADI Adrian
DfT National Car Test Waiting Times... from 2040 to improve air quality, with most of the papers (tabloid and broadsheet) running it on the front page. The crackdown could also see the introduction of levies on busy roads for owners of the most polluting vehicles. And hopes of a major scrappage scheme to help those who were encouraged to buy diesels appear to have been dashed. The strategy was launched later on 26th July by ministers Michael Gove (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Chris Grayling (Department for Transport). It was forced on the Government by defeat in a High Court case on air pollution. So the near 150-year reign of the internal combustion engine comes to an end. From around 2020 (that’s only three years away), town halls will be allowed to levy extra charges on diesel drivers using the UK’s most polluted routes if air quality fails to improve. Furthermore, diesels might even be banned at peak times. ClientEarth, an environmental law organisation, argued successfully that ministers were not doing to tackle the issue. A judge ordered ministers to unveil the new air quality strategy to cut illegal levels of pollution by Monday July 31st. The Government also faces fines from the European Commission which has sent Britain a final warning to comply with EU air pollution limits for NO2 or face a case at the European Court of Justice.
And BMW has delivered a vote of confidence in post-Brexit Britain as it pledged to build the electric Mini at the historic plant in Cowley, Oxford. The first fully electric Mini E will roll off the production line in 2019, just as Britain cuts ties with the EU. BMW said that it was committed to selling 100,000 electrified vehicles – hybrids or electric cars – this year, as many as it has sold in total since production started four years ago. Yes, Britain will inevitably experience a downturn. It’s called the economic cycle. In the meantime, we can be confident that Remainers (including me) – aided in no small measure by the BBC and the FT – will continue to dismiss any good economic news as happening ‘despite Brexit’. Will these people ever stop talking Britain down?
Well, that’s it with a slightly shorter column this month. I’ll be back in September after spending ten days in France. So expect plenty of cross Channel comments.And finally, One wind turbine asked the other: “What kind of music do you like?” It replied: “I’m a big metal fan.”
Til next time
Adrian
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.19
ADI Adrian
‘idiots’ when he told the Daily Mail, which carried the story: “The car cost me £7,000 when I bought it three years ago and I used to park normally. But after having to have my bumpers repaired three times – costing in excess of £1,000 – I decided enough was enough and I would have to take preventative measures”. The Department for Transport rules on the minimum size of parking spaces, currently 5ft 11in (1.80m) but these haven’t changed since 1994 and many cars have got bigger to comply with EU safety standards and to cope with larger passengers. Mind you, when I bought my first brand-new car (a bronze Hillman Avenger, DOY 242J) back in 1971, I decided to run it in by driving from Hertfordshire to Cambridge, no hills you understand? But when I got there, I was terrified to leave it unattended. So I turned round and drove straight back. Nostalgia is not what it used to be, is it?
Those very nice people at Amazon reminded me, the other day, about a book they thought might be of interest. It is ‘Advanced and Performance Driving by Reg Local. The review says Mr Local is a former police driving instructor. With a number of years’ operational experience as a traffic officer and several years teaching police drivers at standard and advanced level, including pursuit tactics and VIP protection driving, he has a wealth of experience to share with the reader. In the book, Mr Local explores not only the practical skills required by a good driver, but also the mental aspects of driving in a wide range of scenarios. Well I was interested, so I have ordered a copy. It should arrive before Mrs Adrian and I go on holiday to France so I will review it in next month’s column.
There was a piece in last weekend’s Sunday Times which reported on a recent study which found that spending a long time on the road speeds up the loss of brainpower in middle-aged people. Kishan Bakrania, a medical epidemiologist (no, I haven’t a clue either) at Leicester University, said: “We know that regularly driving for more than two to three hours a day is bad for your heart. This research suggests it is bad for your brain, too, perhaps because your mind is less active in those hours.” The findings emerged from studying the lifestyles of more than 500,000 Britons aged 37-73 over five years, during which they took intelligence and memory tests. “Cognitive decline is measureable over five years because it can happen fast in middle-aged and older people. This is associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking and bad diet – and now with time spent driving,” Bakrania said. Two key results came from the study. One was that the 93,000 people who drove for more than two to three hours typically had lower brainpower before the research began. The other was that, over the following five years, their brainpower kept on declining – and did so faster than for people who did little or no driving.
I recall writing, last month, about the increase in popularity of electric cars. Well, the Mail on July 25th carried a story about battery-powered bicycles. Apparently their owners may soon be forced to take out accident insurance under proposed EU rules, the paper claims. As many as one in 25 of all new bikes come with a battery and motor to help riders negotiate roads and hills. But bike retailer Halfords and Olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton have said that Brussels is threatening to drive e-bike owners off the road by introducing laws that would force cyclists to take out insurance, which Halfords suggests would cost riders more than £100 a year. EU laws are expected to be retained after Brexit, if they come into force by the time the UK leaves. Well I don’t know about you, but I’ve long thought that if cyclists share our roads, they should carry insurance – whether the bike is powered by a motor or their legs!
The media seems to be carrying more and more motoring stories as the month wears on. All the news outlets on 26th July had the story that new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.20
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“In the present state of motor traffic, I am persuaded that any civilized system of law should require, as a matter of principle, that the person who uses this dangerous instrument on the roads – dealing death and destruction all round – should be liable to make compensation to anyone who is killed or injured in consequence of the use of it. There should be liability without proof of fault. To require an injured person to prove fault results in the gravest injustice to many innocent persons who have not the wherewithal to prove it.”
Finding made by Lord Denning in 1982 that sums up why there are campaigns to introduce presumed (strict) liability in civil law for all vulnerable road users involved in traffic collisions in Scotland.
Introduction
You might think that an invention as simple as a bicycle would have an uncomplicated past. But as it turns out, this highly popular invention has a history fraught with controversy and misinformation. While stories about who invented the bicycle often contradict one another, there’s one thing that’s certain – the very first bicycles were nothing like the ones you see cruising down the street today. In recent years, cycling has become increasingly prominent globally. Rocketing oil prices and growing concern about environmental and health issues such as air pollution and obesity have led many drivers to seek alternative means of transportation. Consequently, politicians around the world are being attracted to policies that promote cycling and academic research has grown to reflect these developments.
Cycling Fatalities
So should cycling mean taking your life in your hands? Two recent fatal cycling tragedies occurred in Kerry (this writer’s county) when a 40-year old lady collided with a tractor and a man collided with a 4x4 driven by a woman with two young children in the vehicle. Paramedics attended both incidents but both were pronounced dead at the scene. To date, (July 2017) eleven people have lost their lives in cycling accidents as opposed to a total of ten in 2016.
As cycling gains popularity as a commuting option across the country one wonders whether cycling, especially in urban areas is just too risky a pursuit. Incredibly, 46 cyclists were killed on our roads in 1990 and 40 the following year. Over the last 20 years, 248 cyclists in Ireland went out on their bicycles and never came home. Also, in GB, statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that in 1934, 1,536 unfortunate cyclists died while cycling however, in 2013, there were 109 cyclist fatalities recorded. Many argue that Ireland is not cycling-friendly, that whatever few cycle lanes we have in towns and cities are insufficient and tokenistic and they (cycle lanes) are an afterthought.
Strict (Presumed) Liability
An offence of strict liability is one where mens rea need not be proven in respect of some element of the actus reus. Thus, the effect in the case of R v Prince was to impose strict liability in the offence of taking an unmarried girl under the age of sixteen from her patents possession, in the knowledge of the girl’s age was held not to be an element of the offence. The presence of strict liability in the criminal law raises a number of issues: when should strict liability be imposed? Can the punishment of the apparently blameless be justified? Are alternative approaches available? The concept of strict or presumed liability is not new. In 1934, Lord Danesfort introduced the UK Road Traffic (Compensation for Accidents) Bill (1934), which proposed that cyclists or pedestrian killed
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DfT National Car Test Waiting Times...Cyclists – A ‘Death Wish On Wheels?’Tom
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ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.22
or injured as a result of a road traffic collision with a vehicle should automatically be able to recover compensation without the need to prove the driver was at fault. Among others, he (Lord Danesfort) cited the following reasons:
“If a pedestrian or cyclist is killed, he is not there to give evidence and if he is seriously injured it is quite impossible for him to give satisfactory evidence if the circumstances in which he was injured. That is one reason … also that the pedestrian or pedal cyclist is generally a poor person and he is unable to fight the rich insurance company, which is always behind the motorist.”
Concurring with Lord Danesfort, Lord Buckmaster said why this Bill was necessary was that:
“By special legislation and special privilege people have become entitled to put upon the roads machines which they may drive at any pace to the public peril”.
However, Lord Earl Howe offered the most vigorous protest, describing the measure as an intolerable injustice to one section of road users. Also, the Earl of Plymouth on behalf of the Government could not support the Bill saying that it would impose liability upon careful motorists, in circumstances in which they were quite innocent of blame. Unfortunately, this Bill did not make its way into the statute books. In Waring v Womack, the Texas court of appeals affirmed the dismissal of a case involving a car collision with a cyclist riding legally on the road, brought by the cyclist to compensate for injuries from the accident. The cyclist was riding his bike through an intersection in which he had right of way when he was struck by the turning vehicle. The court held that it was the cyclist’s burden to prove that the driver of the car was negligent. In his defence, the driver claimed he did not see the cyclist. The court found that the driver was not negligent and dismissed the case – a result that is not atypical in collisions between motor vehicles and cyclists.
Strict liability is certainly not a unique concept in Irish or UK law as it is already used, for example, to provide compensation for injuries to consumers from faulty products, to employees from defective work equipment and to the general public from runaway animals. These precedents where there is a hierarchy would seem to add weight to the argument for greater protection for more vulnerable road users by placing the burden of proof on the party more likely to cause injury or death. Under both Irish and UK law, a claimant cyclist must prove on the balance of probabilities, that the defendant driver was negligent. Cycling campaigners in Scotland are calling for a new law to make motorists automatically at fault in an accident.
Ireland is one of only five European countries – the UK, Cyprus, Malta and Romania being the others – that currently does not have a strict liability law. Therefore, under presumed liability, injured vulnerable road users are properly and promptly cared for and not forced to fight for compensation. Presumed liability builds a culture of mutual respect between road users and ensures the most vulnerable road users are protected – cyclists from motorists and pedestrians from cyclists. It (presumed liability) will facilitate the development of a road hierarchy based on mutual respect between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. A key reason holding back cycling as a viable alternative to the car is that too many people fear the prospect of cycling on the roads. Presumed liability will send out a clear message to drivers to keep a proper lookout for cyclists and pedestrians when driving and bring about a culture change with regards to cycling.
Healthy Pursuit
Despite playing Russian roulette twice-a-day, more than 12,000 people cycle into and out of Dublin city each day. Also, the public bicycle scheme in Dublin is rated as the most best used per head of
DfT National Car Test Waiting Times...Cyclists – A ‘Death Wish On Wheels?’ Tom Harrington
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DfT National Car Test Waiting Times...Cyclists – A ‘Death Wish On Wheels?’ Tom Harrington
population in any city in the world. The Irish MAMIL (middle-aged man in lycra) is rapidly growing as a species, and can be seen regularly traversing his way to work through busy traffic complete with headphones. Getting on your bike is a healthy, cost-effective, reliable and environmentally means of travel, which has become the preferred mode of transport for many in the past decade. Cycling has become even more attractive and accessible with the introduction of the Cycle to Work Scheme and public bike rental schemes. The CTWS is a tax incentive scheme, introduced in 2009, to encourage more employees to cycle to and from work, or between workplaces, thereby contributing to lowering carbon emissions, reducing traffic congestion and improving health and fitness levels. Due to the schemes popularity, it has expanded to approximately 1,580 bicycles at 101 stations across Dublin and has also expanded to other cities.
Failed to Look Properly
Statistics provided by the UKs Department for Transport (DfT) in recent years revealed that mile by mile, you’re more likely to die while walking than cycling. For every billion miles cycled, 30.9 cyclists are killed in the UK compared to 35.8 pedestrians who died for every billion miles walked. In 2014 in the UK, 21,287 cyclists were injured in reported road accidents, including 3,514 who were killed or seriously injured.
Cyclist casualties have risen in recent years as the amount of cycling has increased. In collisions involving a bike and another vehicle the most common contributing factor recorded by police was ‘failed to look properly’ by either the driver or the rider, especially at junctions. ‘Failed to look properly’ was attributed to the car driver in 57pc of serious collisions and to the cyclist in 43pc of serious collisions at junctions. Cycling groups have warned of a ‘worrying’ upward trend of death and injuries on British roads after new data revealed almost 100 people had died or been left with life-changing injuries as a result of accidents caused by potholes over a two-year period. Sam Jones, Campaigns Coordinator at Cycling UK said: “While the number of KSIs due to defective road surfacing for 2015 was thankfully down from 2014, the overall trend is on the up, and very worrying. With a pothole problem that is estimated will cost £14billion to fix, the Government’s commitment of £6billion is a bit like using a sticking plaster to fix a broken leg.”
Minimum Passing Distance
A draft bill published by Ciaran Cannon Fine Gael TD for Galway East seeks to initiate a new law which makes it an offence for driver to pass cyclists too closely. Under the proposed new legislation, motorists would be obliged to pass cyclists no closer than 1.5 metres on road with a speed limit of 50km/h or higher. (A good slogan here might be: Staying alive at 1.5 and if in doubt stay well out) Drivers found to have breached the new rules would face a fine of €80 and three penalty points under the new Road Traffic (Minimum Passing Distance of Cyclists) Bill 2017. For cases that progress to the courts and where guilt is proven, the penalties increase to five penalty points and a fine of up to €1.500. Cannon believes this punitive approach may be what’s needed to finally accelerate the culture change amongst road users in Ireland. He said: “Asking motorists to simply be more careful doesn’t appear to be working. But the laws which punish illegal activity such as driving too close to a cyclist may well change minds. For some unknown reason, there is a psychological anomaly which exists here where cyclists are often not seen by people. That comes from both motorists and planners. The great irony is that most cyclists are also motorists. We can’t give up, that would be a massive backward step for our country.
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Copenhagen – Cyclists Paradise
Copenhagen- the home of the little mermaid – is the urban cyclist’s paradise and a beacon to other cities around the world of how the bike, the car and the pedestrian happily co-exist.
But it wasn’t always that way. Car ownership swelled in the 1960s and areas of the city, now well-known as open and biker-friendly communal spaces, were choked with traffic. Accidents began to rise and many cyclists lost their lives. By the 1970s and 80s, residents of the Danish capital had enough and there was an enormous public outcry to re-instate the city’s public spaces and to protect cyclists. One form of protests was the act of painting white crosses on the road where cyclists had been killed across the city. Copenhagen was one of the first cities in Europe to grasp the nettle in the early 1960s and began reducing car traffic and parking in the city centre. Out of this realization grew the Danish model with its extended network of cycle lanes along the roads. Today, 16pc of all trips in Denmark are made by bike, almost a quarter of all journeys under 5km are taken on two wheels and 36pc of all adults ride a bike to work at least once a week. Only 15pc of cyclists wear a helmet. Why? Because there the consensus is that the cyclist must not be seen as some victim who is to blame if there is an accident. The responsibility for seeing the cyclist rests with the motorist. The standard width of cycle lanes is 2.2m which makes side-by-side conversation possible and overtaking can be done safely. The new standard cycle lane is 2.5 to 2.8m and offers space for three cyclists abreast.
Note. Although not a requirement, helmet-wearing rates in Ireland increased from 41pc to 52pc between 2014 and 2015, according to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) that still means a sizeable percentage of cyclists don’t wear head protection. Despite countless public awareness campaigns, road safety for cyclists continues to be less than adequate.
Traffic Violations
Legally speaking, a bicycle is a “vehicle” and therefore, just like motorists, cyclists must follow the rules of the road. When it comes to collisions occurring at junctions, liability usually boils down to who had the right of way – the car or the bike. Cyclists are obliged to keep a proper ‘lookout’ which is a legal requirement -for both cars, cyclists and motorcycles - and ride defensively. It also pays to learn the basic rules of liability – that is, who is responsible for the accident. Cyclists who don’t follow the road rules or don’t keep a proper lookout might be deemed responsible for an accident. And cyclists who do follow the rules of the road but are nevertheless hit by a driver who doesn’t follow the rules may be surprised to find the driver and police blame the cyclist for the crash. So to avoid liability for an accident after being hit by a car, cyclists must understand and follow both the basic legal rules of liability and the rules of the road.
“Outlaws on Wheels?”
In a Sheffield study into “looking into why people are irritated by cyclists”, they talked about the queue culture. When you sit in a line of cars and you see these cyclists going by, you have so much time to watch their wrongdoings. It really irritates drivers. It makes people very frustrated to see how easily bikes can progress through traffic. Some may regard cyclists as outlaws on wheels, but ultimately they’re no match for the car. It’s a regular occurrence to observe some cyclists cycling against the flow of traffic in one-way streets, cycling on footpaths, through red traffic lights, ignoring stop signs and zebra crossings. Also, at night no front light or rear reflector and no reflective clothing in the dark. A recent survey by The Irish Mail on Sunday (11 June 2017) found
that over one hour at a Dublin traffic light controlled junction, an astonishing 87 out of 90 cyclists failed to stop at the red traffic lights. Also, in May of this year, this writer was undergoing his RSA check test and emerging from a one-way street when a cyclist sped toward our vehicle only to swerve past at the last moment and into the one-way street against the flow of traffic.
“Wanton & Furious Cycling”
However, it’s not always a confrontation between a vehicle and a cyclist. Cyclists occasionally hit and injure or kill pedestrians. Therefore, some might say that cyclists are reckless, with utter disregard for their own safety and the safety of others. One of the most tragic crashes occurred in the UK where a cyclist knocked down a schoolgirl and left her for dead after jumping a red traffic light in 2013. The cyclist was jailed for a year after admitting causing grievous bodily harm. He was initially charged with “wanton and furious cycling” under a law enacted in 1861. However, a cyclist killing a pedestrian is a rare occurrence. So, what is the answer? Is it education, enforcement or more cycle lanes to separate cars from cyclists?
Conclusion
In the battle between motorists and cyclists, there is only going to be one loser – normally the cyclist. To many, cyclists are serial flouters of the rules – jumping red traffic lights, not signalling and failing to stop at zebra crossings etc. The reality is that both cyclists and motorists have rights and responsibilities which if followed can allow both sides to be safe. The benefits of cycling are abundantly clear. It is cost - effective, reliable, healthy and environmentally friendly.
While sustainability isn’t always the driving force behind everybody’s decision to cycle for transportation, it is certainly a motivating factor for a lot of people, and a feel good secondary factor for many others. Since cycling burns fat and not fossil fuels, most everyday cyclists are comfortable with the notion that their commute is a daily contribution to the global fight against climate change. Even though cyclists are making a contribution to a healthier environment, it is incumbent on them (cyclists) and all road users to share the road safely. Cyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users and motorists have to develop a defensive strategy in dealing with them. Similar to motorists, not all cyclists follow the Rules of the Road or Highway Code and are therefore more exposed to danger. As mentioned earlier we see cyclists doing many silly, careless and dangerous acts while cycling. However, good driving expects motorists to make allowances for their (cyclists) and other vulnerable road users mistakes – that’s if they can. Motorists too can break the law and the rules which can have devastating effects on cyclists and pedestrians. Cocooned and protected in their “two tonne steel cage” they outmatch the cyclist every time. Therefore, it’s important that whether we’re behind the steering wheel or the handlebars we must strive to share the roads in harmony with each other to avoid becoming an accident statistic. Trying to prevent accidents and injuries caused by motorists and cyclists remain a significant challenge for the authorities. It is clear that those countries with high rates of cycling and high levels of cycle safety, strict liability exists as part of a kaleidoscope of policies designed to enable safe cycling. Education, infrastructure and common sense measures all contribute to a road safety environment that is very favourable to cyclists. Though there has been much research isolating for the effects of strict liability on road safety, anecdotal evidence from the countries studied indicate that at the very least, strict liability encourages drivers to become more cautious in their approach to safety on the road. Finally, the bicycle and cycling which today is gaining much popularity and is a highly popular mode of transport invented all those years ago should be a safe, healthy and a pleasurable pursuit and not a ‘death wish on wheels’.
DfT National Car Test Waiting Times...Cyclists – A ‘Death Wish On Wheels?’ Tom Harrington
ADI National Joint Council Working ADIs, working for you.25
Members’ Corner
Public Liability Driving TuitionWhy is Public Liability cover so important?
Because we all make mistakes in life, including in our business operations as a driving instructor.Quite simply, if a member of the public (or any other third party) is injured or suffers damage to their property, arising out of the conduct of your business as a driving instructor, you could be held responsible.
The ADINJC Public Liability insurance, is designed to provide protection from claims against you by third parties who may have suffered personal injury or damage to their property, during contact with your driving school. Most motor policies provide you with a compulsory £20 Million Public Liability cover for accidents and injuries that occur as a consequence of having an accident. The ADINJC believes it’s important to ensure you also have sufficient cover away from the vehicle, and have therefore arranged for its paid up members to benefit from £10 Million Public Liability cover away from the vehicle. The policy also has a low policy excess of just £500 for each and every claim. The ADINJC policy provides £10 Million cover for each and every claim during the life of the policy.
A range of claims can arise. These can extend from accidents at your own business premises, to incidents that occur whilst providing advice or tuition whilst working away from your vehicle.
Increasingly, it is a requirement of many customers, principals, and clients (particularly local authorities and government agencies), that you be asked to present proof of Public Liability insurance before they will work with you, or allow you to work on their property or premises.
Compensation arising from Public Liability claims can be substantial, and may include loss of earnings, future loss of earnings and damages awarded to the claimant. In addition, considerable legal costs in defending the claim can be incurred, and the claimants’ legal costs may also be awarded against you if you are found to be at fault. All would be covered under a comprehensive Public Liability policy
Claims for trips, slips and falls are the most common, but there are other events that can lead to a claim against you. The following are examples of potential claims that can give rise to public liability claims against your driving school:
• you open your door for a pupil who you inadvertently trip over, causing an injury;
• you spill a hot drink in a classroom and a pupil slips over on this, causing an injury;
• a pupil falls over some cones you have positioned to practice parking, causing an injury;
• you knock over a valuable antique whilst waiting for a pupil at their home;
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Articles we have sent out via Email this Month• Road Safety Week• Platinum Members Webinar• DVSAaimstostopviolenceagainstitsstaff• Learner drivers will be allowed on motorways from 2018
Research Request“I’m currently a postgraduate student at the University of Manchester researching the effectiveness of driving theory education in the UK.
I’ve developed an online revision application available at www.getsidecar.co.uk for students who are currently working towards their theory test - it includes a digital copy of The Highway Code and all of the official DVSA practice questions which I have access to through a special research licence.
I would really appreciate it if you could share the website with any of your current students who have their theory test coming up and might find it useful.
Specifically I’m researching the effects of points systems on student motivation and I would be happy to share the results with you after the study if you are interested. Daniel
Congratulations... ...to our member Sue Papworth, Chair at Cambridge Association of Driving Instructors. Sue recently took her bus test and passed first time with Peek’s Driver Education.
The Driving Instructors Podcast 129 - Teaching Electric Go to www.dipod.co.uk to download and listen to shows.
• Bus Lanes• Rob Cooling• Charging Matters• Electric Cars On Test• Telemetry Information• Student Conversion
• New Driving Test• Motorway Statistics• National Standards• Performance Standards• Statistics• Driving Test Fails
In this bumber issue we talk to Rob Cooling who is running a 100% electric Leaf as his learner car plus a large selection of other issues including our ongoing look at the National Standards for ADIs
Send us in your comments. Our email address is [email protected] and our phone number is 08432 892 556 - You can find the show by clicking www.dipod.co.uk
